For more information or to purchase tickets call Italian Village Restaurants at 312-332-7005.

A great combination of everything Italian: modern and vintage Ferraris. Raffles available and proceeds support Inspiration Corporation and Lurie’s Children’s Hospital. Must register early to secure your spot! Located at 71 West Monroe in Chicago, IL.

The City of Chicago will close Monroe St. from Dearborn to Clark for Ferrari-only parking.

The event is $30 per person to general public but free for Ferrari Club Members (FCA) members. Registration is required.

There will be an open wine & cappuccino bar and lunch buffet at the Italian Village . The Italian Village is the Oldest “Italian Restaurant in Chicago.” The restaurant has the largest wine cellar in the entire Midwest that holds over 45,000 bottles! They have also won the Wine Spectator‘s “Grand Award” annually since 1984.

Italian Village in Tuscany inside the restaurant

In 1981, Wine Spectator introduced the “Restaurant Awards” program. They review a restaurant’s wine lists on three levels: the Award of Excellence (basic), Best of Award of Excellence (second-tier), and the Grand Award (highest). I am in Amarone Heaven at the Village!

Here are some of the wines from Umbria:

Italian Village
Amarone Heaven at Italian VillageThe Italian Village has been in the same family for three generations. Alfredo Capitanini, an Italian immigrant, opened The Italian Village in 1927. The menu once read: “ Spaghetti with Meatballs: 40 cents.” Alfredo’s wife, Ada, fed hungry patrons including performers from the Lyric Opera and Mayor Daley.
Chicago Originals Award
The second generation of Capitaninis, Ray, Frank and Ave then created “the most celebrated wine list in the Midwest.”
Signed Wicked Poster at the Italian Village
Today, Al and Gina, are the third Capitanini Generation running the show. Check out Al Capitanini’s video http://www.italianvillage-chicago.com/video.phpThe Italian Village building in the Chicago Loop at 71 West Monroe houses a trio of restaurants with distinctive menus: acclaimed designer Jordan Mozer conceptualized upscale and contemporary Vivere; the charming retro Tuscan-inspired The Village; and La Cantina Enoteca with the ambiance of a wine cellar. For more information visit: www.italianvillage-chicago.com
During Chicago’s Restuarant Week you can check out Vivere’s innovative design, the Chef’s contemporary Italian cuisine and the Capitanini family’s immense wine cellar with 45,000 bottles. Vivere is offering a Chicago Restaurant Week 2012 Menu.

Italian Village Chefs at Italian Awards Event

Vivere is the most expensive restaurant in the building with a truly decked out dining room. I like the pumpkin-stuffed pasta and the duck breast with cherry sauce. Have some limoncello cheesecake if it’s on the menu. Vivere won numerous awards: “Best New Restaurant” from Esquire Magazine, DiRona Award from Wine Spectator and Ultimate Distinction by Wine Enthusiast. The Chef incorporates flavors from various regions of Italy. They also earned a Ospitalita Italiana Award for authentic Italian Cuisine.

Ospitalita Italiana Plaque for Italian Village

I love the alfresco dining ambience of the Village. It is located on the second floor. The dining room is covered with a canopy of Italian lights.
The Italian maitre d’ Frank Sgro is legendary! He has spent most of his life at this restaurant. He started in 1959 as a busboy at the Italian Village at the age of 17. A few weeks later, Frank Sgro became the Maitre D’ and has been there for over 50 years! Now that is a dedicated and loyal guy.
“Frank is like part of the family,” Al Capitanini said. “He remembers everybody and what they’ve ordered and where they’ve sat, and he works the room and knows where to seat people, and he does it very graciously.”

The Village Dining Room The Village Bar in Chicago

At the Italy-inspired, columned bar you can order an appetizer. There are plenty of large portions of authentic Italian cuisine in the dining room. I love the Frutta di Mare and Scampi Casalinga.

I always order a glass of the Stefano Farina Italian Barbera d’Alba. For dessert, I love the Tiramisu. I can’t help it, I am a creature of habit.

The Village Bar in Chicago

Join them for Cabaret Wednesdays with live music starting at 8:00 p.m.

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The winner Marc Almert Almert, from Germany, is the 16th winner of the world’s best sommelier competition since the event was founded in 1969. He is also one of the youngest to take the prize, at just 27 years old. He came out on top in a field of 66 candidates from 63 countries during an intense series of […] The post Meet the world’s best sommelier 2019 wi […]

Owners Jeffrey and Ellie Patterson had lined up the 22 wines on a long table in their light-filled home, with views of vines from every window and a panorama of Silicon Valley far below...Jeffrey Patterson was hired as Mount Eden's assistant winemaker in 1981 and was promoted two years later. Eleven vintages of Mount Eden's two Cabernets... The pos […]